Production system, production method, control device, and production process analysis method

Abstract

A production system for producing products from raw materials by a production process with several steps has a number of production facilities that perform the steps and a control device. The control device determines a control target value by referring to information about group combinations specified in accordance with the relative merits of the manufacturing condition routes followed by respective lots during the production process. The routes are respectively set for a number of groups that are classified on the basis of raw material properties formed of a combination of property items of one or more types of raw materials. The relative merits of the routes are determined on the basis of quality items of the lots, classified for inter-step combinations of groups, which are classified on the basis of manufacturing conditions at the steps.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A production system producing a product from a raw material by a production process having a plurality of steps, the system comprising:
 a plurality of production apparatuses that handle the steps in which powders of the raw material continuously flow in sequence; 
 a memory; 
 a central processor connected to the memory, 
 wherein the central processor: 
 obtains information of a property of the raw material input to the production process; 
 refers to information of a combination of groups of the steps specified in accordance with a superiority/inferiority of a route pertaining to manufacturing conditions including a process data and/or a product data, wherein the superiority/inferiority is determined on the basis of the process data and/or the product data of each of lots classified according to each of combinations of steps in a plurality of the groups which have been classified according to each of manufacturing conditions in each of the steps, the route being a route set for each of a plurality of groups classified into each of raw material properties constituted by a combination of properties of a plurality of items in at least one type of raw material, with the route of manufacturing conditions being followed when each of the lots passes through the production process; and 
 determines a new control target value set for at least any of the plurality of production apparatuses in which raw materials are continuously flowing so that the manufacturing conditions of a route that is selected based on the determined superiority/inferiority and the obtained property of the raw material input conform with a default manufacturing condition for the route, 
 changes a control target value of the production apparatuses from an old control target value to the new control target value, 
 wherein the information of the manufacturing condition is information pertaining to an operation state of the plurality of production apparatuses. 
 
     
     
       2. The production system according to  claim 1 , wherein the central processor determines the new control target value set for at least any of the plurality of production apparatuses by referring to information of any combination, in which at least a condition of a product quality is satisfied, among the combinations of groups. 
     
     
       3. The production system according to  claim 1 , wherein the central processor sets the new control target value in at least any of the plurality of production apparatuses. 
     
     
       4. The production system according to  claim 1 , wherein in a state in which the product has been produced in the production process, upon obtaining information of a manufacturing condition indicating a state of at least any step among the plurality of steps, the central processor determines, on the basis of the obtained information, whether or not a lot of the product meets the manufacturing conditions of the route. 
     
     
       5. The production system according to  claim 1 , wherein the information of the combination is, with data that includes a manufacturing condition that indicates a state of each of the steps and a quality item that indicates a quality of the product being collected for each lot in the production process, and the steps being classified into a plurality of groups in accordance with manufacturing conditions of the steps, and moreover the lots being classified into a plurality of routes for each combination of groups, and furthermore a superiority/inferiority of each of the routes being determined in accordance with the quality item of each of the routes, information of a favorable combination of the groups specified in accordance with the superiority/inferiority of each of the routes. 
     
     
       6. The production system according to  claim 1 , wherein
 the production process is a continuous production process that continuously produces a product from a powder, which is a material, 
 the plurality of production apparatuses include a first processor that performs first processing on the powder, which is a raw material, a second processor that performs second processing on the powder, on which the first processor has performed the first processing, and an inspection and sorting device having an inspection chamber, into which the powder sent from the first processor flows, 
 the inspection and sorting device is a device that, when a prescribed amount of the powder has accumulated in the inspection chamber, inspects the powder inside the inspection chamber after blocking a path connecting the first processor to the inspection chamber, and when the inspection ends, discharges the powder from within the inspection chamber and then cancels the blocking, and 
 when the inspection and sorting device obtains information of a property of the powder within the inspection chamber, the central processor determines a control target value set in the second processor by referring to the information of the combination. 
 
     
     
       7. The production system according to  claim 6 , wherein in a case where the powder within the inspection chamber is not classified into any of the groups as a result of referring to the information of the combination, the central processor does not cause the inspection and sorting device to discharge the powder from within the inspection chamber to the second processor. 
     
     
       8. A production method producing a product from a raw material by a production process having a plurality of steps, the method comprising:
 a step of operating a plurality of production apparatuses that handle the steps; and 
 a step of causing a central processor to determine a control target value set for each of the plurality of production apparatuses, 
 wherein the step of causing the central processor comprises: 
 obtaining information of a property of the raw material input to the production process; 
 referring to information of a combination of groups of the steps specified in accordance with a superiority/inferiority of a route pertaining to manufacturing conditions including a process data and/or a product data, wherein the superiority/inferiority is determined on the basis of the process data and/or the product data of each of lots classified according to each of combinations of steps in a plurality of the groups which have been classified according to each of manufacturing conditions in each of the steps, the route being a route set for each of a plurality of groups classified into each of raw material properties constituted by a combination of properties of a plurality of items in at least one type of raw material, with the route of manufacturing conditions being followed when each of the lots passes through the production process; 
 determining a new control target value set for at least any of the plurality of production apparatuses in which raw materials are continuously flowing so that the manufacturing conditions of a route that is selected based on the determined superiority/inferiority and the obtained property of the raw material input conform with a default manufacturing condition for the route, 
 changing a control target value of the production apparatuses from an old control target value to the new control target value, 
 wherein the information of the manufacturing condition is an information pertaining to an operation state of the plurality of production apparatuses. 
 
     
     
       9. A central processor of a production system producing a product from a raw material by a production process having a plurality of steps, the central processor:
 determines a new control target value set for each of a plurality of production apparatuses that handle the steps; and 
 outputs the new control target value, 
 wherein the central processor obtains information of a property of the raw material input to the production process, refers to information of a combination of groups of the steps specified in accordance with a superiority/inferiority of a route pertaining to manufacturing conditions including a process data and/or a product data, wherein the superiority/inferiority is determined on the basis of the process data and/or the product data of each of lots classified according to each of combinations of steps in a plurality of the groups which have been classified according to each of manufacturing conditions in each of the steps, the route being a route set for each of a plurality of groups classified into each of raw material properties constituted by a combination of properties of a plurality of items in at least one type of raw material, with the route of manufacturing conditions being followed when each of the lots passes through the production process, determines a new control target value set for at least any of the plurality of production apparatuses in which raw materials are continuously flowing so that the manufacturing conditions of a route that is selected based on the determined superiority/inferiority and the obtained property of the raw material input conform with a default manufacturing condition for the route, changes a control target value of the production apparatuses from an old control target value to the new control target value, 
 wherein the information of the manufacturing condition is an information pertaining to an operation state of the plurality of production apparatuses.